The most informative content that I adapt to my process almost always comes from the inspirational people I follow online. There are thousands of great artists sharing their work online and many are putting content out there that is designed to help other artists grow as business professionals. There are some great people I follow on various social media platforms as well as their blogs, YouTube channels, websites and even virtual worlds. Some of them include people like Carolyn Edlund AKA ArtsyShark, Alyson B Stanfield AKA ArtBizCoach, and College Art Association or CAA. These people have amazing content that I learn so much from.

Some of the communities I engage with online include professionals that work for tech companies like Adobe, Autodesk, Unreal and Unity. They have YouTube channels where they share tips/tricks, how to tutorials, information about new features and most importantly live project and portfolio reviews. The folks over at Adobe were even kind enough to review one of my designs via live video feed. They checked out a ferrofluid style page set up I had created as an online store using Adobe XD which I was beta testing at the time. It was great to get their valuable feedback and I look forward to each live feed I manage to come across because it gives me an opening to have my work seen by everyone watching their videos.

For the time being, I’m working as a solo artist, so my cohorts and business partners have yet to be developed. From time to time I do bounce ideas for art projects off my fiancé and friends and their honesty gives me an idea about which projects are worth pursuing. Currently I have a project in the works which will be helping a fellow classmate and well-known blogger (Scott Stokes from Northwest Chefs) curate artwork for a virtual coffee shop he is creating in Second Life called BLACK SHEEP. The place looks great and will be an amazing social hub for people from all walks of life. I’m looking forward to contributing to this project and providing great conversation pieces while people enjoy some digital caffeine and ambiance.

For as long as I can remember I’ve been a creator. I was always drawing in class when I should have been solving math problems or taking notes in science. There was no medium that was off limits to my artistry. Paintings, sculptures and sketches filled my room growing up. As the years went by, I started to run out of room in my home and office. Eventually it got to the point where I had so much art stacked up that I had nowhere to make more! During my short time studying art at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, I remember being taught to be cautious about selling originals so as not to cheapen my collection to a craft as opposed to fine art. This always made me apprehensive about letting my work go. Each piece is a part of me in some way.

After working many years in jobs unrelated to my passion for the sake of paying rent I began to feel as though I wasn’t exercising my strength. Customer service has never been a problem for me, but I was selling other peoples products and not prioritizing my greatest asset, my own artwork. No wonder I wasn’t feeling fulfilled in my career. This really bothered me, so I decided to make some alterations to my direction in life. It was time for a new approach.

With my full dedication and some careful planning, I decided to go back to college, but instead of studying fine art I decided to go after a degree in multimedia graphic design. Graphic artists have increasingly caught my attention as I got older and I began to realize that computers are extremely powerful tools for creating amazing artwork. It was also evident to me that the market place for art is global and that I wanted everyone to see my work. So many sleepless nights and lists of deadlines later, I found myself with great new skills and the ability to market my own artwork online. I even took up photography!

Now art lovers can find me in several major hubs on the internet. I have my own website, a blog on WordPress, a Twitter feed, a Facebook page, an Instagram gallery, a YouTube channel and a portfolio on Behanced. Follow me on these platforms to see the full scope of my creations. From concept development, through process, to final product; see how I do what I do and find out why. My custom prints make great gifts and the originals are true treasures for any collector.